It's 1879 and John Muir seeks knowledge. He risks lives to see the Ice Mountain. Will it tell the story of Yosemite's history? What you just read is my twitter pitch, my 140 character teaser for my most recent picture book project, meant to entice art directors and agents to touch the heart button during a twitter pitch fest. When they like my post, they have given me an invitation to submit my work to them with the promise of special attention. Crazy, right? It's amazing the impact a tweet can have these days. No names mentioned.
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About a week ago I volunteered in my daughter's 1st grade classroom. On Friday afternoons they have been working on a 100 Book Challenge where the children read aloud to adults. Lucky for me, this day included a reward for earning so many brownie points. The children were allowed to bring in a sleeping bag, stuffed animal and flashlight so that they could read in the dark! What a great opportunity for everyone involved! I really enjoyed having my daughter and several other children read to me. What is the best thing to do when the weather snows, sleets, and freezes? Why, build snow forts, of course! Several forts are strategically located throughout our neighborhood right now. It takes teamwork to mine the ice bricks from the plowed debris on the sides of the road. Alliances are made; we hope no faces are broken. This ice is hard! So, be careful if you are walking through this corner of Elkins Park any time before the demolition melt on Monday. Don't say you weren't warned. John Francis wrote a book entitled Planetwalker based on his experience living for 22 years without riding in any motorized vehicles. My son Dylan and I had the opportunity to meet him on Sunday when he signed our book. On our way to the lecture we hopped a ride on a golf cart across Temple University's Ambler campus. In my focus on trying to arrive on time, I did not realize the irony of our choice until we arrived at our destination. While I'm not giving up motorized vehicles anytime soon, I am inspired. This man's deliberate choices to walk and to remain silent for 17 years teach me about humanity. I'm glad he now tells his story to share the humor and the wisdom of his experiences. And, guess what. He not only plays the banjo, he paints too! The heart of his message is that the environment is about how we treat each other. There is a lot to unpack in that statement and I find that the idea is already affecting my work in an insightful way. Thank you, John Francis. The beating that I've been taking the last few days is bittersweet. My 9 year old son Dylan has not only a good dose of talent in chess, he also has more training than me thanks to the chess club at Meadowbrook, his old school. So even though I am clearly outmatched, I persist. (Isn't that the trend these days?) Today was our second match this week. I was beaten badly. I made a few good moves, I made several dumb moves, and my pride wishes I could say that I lost on purpose. I still hope I might win tomorrow. At the very least I will go down fighting! This beloved hand tool came to my husband through his father, both woodworkers. Woodworking is a Rix tradition that goes back at least three generations. Maybe further? Were there woodworking Rix's back in Nebraska of the 1890s or in early 19th century Germany? I love that this tool in particular is from a pre-computer age. It is very tactile, not virtual. This painting is a gift for my hard working valentine. He's at the hospital overnight and might not see this post before I give it to him on our date tomorrow night. Happy Valentine's Day! One adaptation I will happily make to our predictably unpredictable seasonal weather patterns involves being ready for a glorious (65 degree!) outdoor painting day in early February. Yesterday I not only took my morning drawing class outside, I also painted this watercolor en plein air in my backyard in the afternoon. This "business" in my backyard keeps my heart lifted, even during the dark days. For three winters now I have maintained these bird feeders and I've come to think of my regular visitors as my family's outdoor pets since we do see them every day. The birdbath also has special significance for me. It was my grandfather's and I acquired it last year after he passed away. For many years while I was growing up I didn't fully appreciate his dedication to his backyard birds on view through his kitchen and back porch windows. Now I get it. I feel like I am continuing his practice every time I rinse and refill that birdbath. So while yesterday was an unseasonably balmy winter day, today is a snow day. The kids are off from school. I will be doing my bird watching from inside my house. However, I'm keeping my outdoor easel and plein air bag at the ready. One never knows when the next fair weather opportunity will arise. Back to Aesop. Today I played around with a composition for Jupiter and the Bee that I used for a woodcut print a few years ago. In fact, if you google "Jupiter and the Bee" you will see it because someone used it in a blog post that apparently gets a lot of hits. Now, he didn't ask for my permission, but he did put my name on my work which I appreciate. The story. A little bee is tired of others stealing her honey. She brings Jupiter a gift of some honey, then Jupiter asks, "What can I do for you, little bee?" The little bee says that if only she had a stinger, she could protect her honey herself. Juno steps in and Jupiter agrees that there should be a cost. Juno suggests that if the stinger is used, the bee must pay for the act with its life. Each bee must choose - protect the hive and die, or share the honey. The moral. Be careful what you wish for. A telling lesson in this age of protectionism we've just entered. |
Little Bee:
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